Domino
by Juraquille Amie
Summary: After a weird conversation with his captain, Zoro finds it very uncomfortable to hang around a certain chef...
1. Chapter 1

_Finally! A new fanfic at last!_

_This story takes place after the Water Seven incident. One Piece (c) belongs to Oda sensei, yada yada. Enjoy!_

**_Domino_**

"Ne, Zoro."

The green haired swordsman opened one eye and looked at his captain. Luffy sat on his usual spot, on top of the galleon figure, looking down at him.

"Hm?" Zoro answered, enjoying the last rays of sun.

"I was just wondering… How do you see Sanji?"

"He's a pain in the ass", Zoro hmfed and made himself comfortable, planning on going to sleep where he lay with his back resting against the railing.

"No, seriously!" Luffy pushed. The swordsman could feel his intense stare, and sighed.

"Well, I guess he's needed…" he muttered, rolling his eyes. Luffy still stared at him. "… and… he's a good fighter, I guess… Why this now all of a sudden?"

"Nothing."

Some silent moments passed, and Zoro couldn't get rid of the feeling that those moments were kind of awkward. When Luffy got his "serious periods", it was difficult to try talk it away. "It's just that I had this weird dream last night…"

Oh. There it was. A dream. Zoro would have known. "Luffy, it's just a dream, they use to be weird. Nothing real."

"But… But…" Luffy frowned and turned around, facing the ocean. Zoro sighed again.

"Alright, spill it out."

"I was in the kitchen," Luffy started, dead-serious, "eating apples. You see, there were lots and lots of apples, and you and Sanji were there too… But you didn't notice me, it was like I wasn't there… hmm, like I, uhh…"

"I understand, I have had those dreams too."

"What? Me eating apples?"

_Nh_. "Just go on."

"Yeah, you and Sanji didn't talk or anything, you… you just kind of…" Luffy trailed off and glanced at Zoro. The first mate cocked an eyebrow.

"What?" he pushed.

"… You were kissing."

A vein twitched painfully above Zoro's eye and he suddenly lost his breath. "_What_?"

"I said, you were-"

"I heard what you said!" Zoro hissed and straighten his back so quickly he hit his head in the railing. He grunted both in pain and annoyance. "Argh! Luffy, why would I…? With that… him…? Damn it! It was just a fucking dream, Luffy! You know _that_ would never happen!" Zoro glared up at Luffy, who now held his stomach, laughing.

"AhahahI know! It was just a dream, Zoro, haha! Don't need to be so upset about it!"

Luffy continued to laugh, all while Zoro crossed his arms angrily. Really, he never thought Luffy of all people would dream something like that… He looked at his captain, trying to relax again.

`_But on the other hand, though… Why wouldn't he be able to dream something like that_?´ Zoro had never thought of Luffy as romantic, and this new side of the rubber man was a bit… spooky. He shook his head; best not to think too much of it, or he would end up in something he would regret.

Later that night. It had started snowing, and Luffy, Usopp and Chopper were very thrilled. They ran around on deck, throwing snowballs at each other and laughed their heads off.

"Don't they freeze?" muttered Nami and pulled her jacket closer around herself. She, Robin, Sanji, Franky and Zoro sat in the Aquarium Bar, drinking hot chocolate. Nami, Robin and Sanji played cards (Sanji lost all the time, strangely enough), Franky read a book of blueprinting and Zoro was halfway to dreamland, his mug of chocolate balancing dangerously on his belly.

And when mentioning halfway to dreamland, I mean that he thought of something that disturbed him from dozing off completely. The talk he and Luffy had earlier was still repeating inside his head.

"_You were kissing_."

The simple line was so _annoying_. It just had been a fucking _dream_, for heaven's sake! Zoro couldn't deny it, the discover of his captain's ability to dream about… _romance_, wasn't a very pleasant discover. That Luffy would fantasize such a… a…

`_NO! It's Luffy! He's not a pervert! The only pervs aboard this ship is Sanji and Franky_!´

"Is something wrong, Swordsman-san?" Robin asked. Zoro had made an annoying snort, which had resulted in that some of his chocolate spilled out on his white t-shirt.

"No," Zoro answered, a bit too aggressive, and placed the mug of chocolate on the table.

"Not that tone to Robin-chwan, Marimo!" hissed Sanji. Zoro ignored him, and pulled off his ruined t-shirt. Hmpf, doing the laundry just this morning, now he had to wash it again… "Argh! Just what do you think you're doing, shrimps-for-brains? If you have to strip, do it in the bathroom, not in front of the ladies!" Zoro caught a soup ladle just in time and threw Sanji a cold glare.

"What? Envious are we?" Zoro retorted and put the ladle on the table. In the same time the door swung open whit a "_bang_!" and Luffy, Usopp and Chopper barged inside.

"SAANJIII! CHOCOLATE! HOT CHOCOLATE! WE'RE FREEZIN'!"

Zoro took use of the sudden invasion, and while Sanji and Nami screamed their heads off about "Of course you're freezing, it's fucking snowing outside!" and "No I won't make more chocolate for you since you morons ate half of my chocolate supply!", he mumbled goodnight to Robin and Franky and sneaked of to the men's quarters.

_Really_. A lively night as this was common to the Strawhats, so why did it bug him so much _this_ night? Zoro put aside his swords and lay down in his hammock, not minding to take off his trousers. The light rocking of the ship was doing its magic, and soon he was dozing off…

"Marimo… Marimo!"

Zoro was roughly awakened by that oh-so-annoying voice. Now what? He cracked an eye open and was about to hiss at the cook, but stopped dead in his tracks. Sanji was standing beside his hammock, holding a lantern, all while frenetically tugging his tie. His shirt was open, revealing pale skin in the dim light, and the chef had an almost impatient look on his face.

"What are you doing, Dartboard?" Zoro whispered in a pissed yet low voice; the other guys might already gone to bed.

"Shut up." The tie fell to the floor and was quickly accompanied whit the lantern as Sanji started to pull off his shirt. Speechless Zoro stared at the other man. `_What am I supposed to do? What is he doing? Why am I not doing anything?´_ Shirt off, Sanji loomed down over the swordsman, supporting himself whit his hands on both sides of Zoro's head.

"Oi Cook, go sleep already…" He was abruptly hushed as hot lips softly touched his cheek, caressing his neck and moving over his collar bone. Hands brushed his arms, and he caught his breath as those lips kissed his nipple. "Sa-sanji… s-stop…!"

**tbc**

_Hehehe... I'm an evil woman, writing cliffhangers like that. Plz review! ;P_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"_Sa-sanji…! S-stop…!"_

Luffy froze where he stood outside the men's quarters, with a hand just above the door handle. What was going on in there? Zoro? And Sanji? He looked over his shoulder and saw the unmistakable silhouette of Sanji flirting with the girls in the Aquarium Bar. How could Sanji be in two different places? Luffy pushed the door open and hurried inside, not wanting the snow and cold in. The room was dark, the starlight made the furniture only barely visible. Soft sounds of fabric shifting caught Luffy's attention, and he made his way to Zoro's hammock. _`Is he sick_?´

Zoro was breathing heavy into his pillow and squirmed in the sheets. Luffy reached out a hand and gently shook him.

"Zoro… Hey, Zoro…!"

The green haired man woke up immediately with a surprised sound. "L-Luffy, damn it!" He looked around disoriented. "How… Where is the lantern?" he asked stupidly.

"What lantern?"

They shared a long look. At last Zoro understood he had been dreaming, and felt back into the pillow, groaning.

"How are you feeling?" Luffy asked carefully.

"Horrible," was the answer. "Not that I'm sick or anything, I just… _oh fuck_… it was just a _nightmare_."

"Oh. Take a glass of water, that calms me down after a nightmare," suggested Luffy. After stripping down to his underwear, he climbed into his own hammock and left Zoro wide awake.

`_Why would I dream about the cook of all idiots_?´

He could still hear voices from the Aquarium Bar; he had barely slept some minutes. Was he really that sexual frustrated to be having dreams about _Sanji_? It couldn't be that long ago since he got some last time, eh? Let's see… they had just been taking off from Water Seven, before that they had played that David Jones game against the Foxy Pirates… He hadn't had any sex in Skypeia… Alabasta. That was it, last time he had sex was in Alabasta. And that was ages ago. `_All because of some stupid idea Luffy put into my head_…!´ Zoro turned around in the hammock and grumbled silently - `_Great, an erection_…´

_~O~_

"Can I have some more coffee, Mr. Cook?"

"Of course, Beautiful Robin swaaan!"

"Hey, that's my bacon, stop steal!"

"Yahahaha! Usopp, that's so hilarious!"

For once, Zoro was kind of happy that breakfast aboard Thousand Sunny was so noisy. Luffy stealing food, as usual, Nami and Robin gossiping and chatting about fashion, as usual, Usopp telling unbelievable tales of his grand adventures as Chopper listened with sparkling eyes and Franky playing background music, as usual. No one seemed to notice Zoro's mental absence. As he watched Sanji refill the ladies smoothies and spill his heart out for them, he vaguely wondered why Luffy had dreamt about him together with the blond womanizer. Why not Luffy and him? Or any one of the girls? Maybe because Luffy already knew Zoro's sexual preferences. But the captain also knew Zoro and Sanji weren't friends, so to say, always quarreling and arguing. If Zoro would have sex with anyone on the ship, it was with Luffy – they had sex before. He turned his gaze to Luffy who was busy consuming everything in sight. Some rice and vegetables had stuck to his cheeks without him noticing, he just continue to eat more sandwiches and fruit, washing it down with tea and bacon. In between bites he let himself get amazed by the tales of the Great Captain Usopp, laughing along with Chopper, and regularly getting hit by Nami.

No, the rubber man wasn't a pervert. He loved life, enjoyed it to the fullest, never allowing anything to slip away from his grip. Zoro knew, he had been there, seen all those feelings, and shared them with him.

"What are you grinning about, Mr. Cactus?"

Zoro found himself with a sticky wooden spoon poking hard in the cheek, and glared at Sanji. Wonderful. He wiped off the sticky mixture with his hand, looked at it (it was probably some cake mixture for the afternoons desert), and wiped it off onto Sanji's waistcoat.

"WHAT THE SHIT ARE YOU DOING!" Sanji raised the spoon to smack Zoro over the head, only to have the spoon cut in half. Speechless he stared at the remaining spoon handle and glared daggers at Zoro, who walked out from the kitchen, waving goodbye.

"Thanks for the breakfast, idiot."

_~O~_

Not even a good workout helped him getting rid of the annoying thoughts. If this continued any more, he didn't know what he would do. Talking with Luffy was out of question, he would just take it as if Zoro had started to develop feelings for the chef – which he _hadn't_! Talking with Robin – no, screw that – talking with anyone at all was out of question, it would only be embarrassing. Hm, maybe Chopper had some medicine which could help him, like painkillers or something similar… no, screw that too, Chopper wasn't any wizard with potions. And masturbating would only fuel his thoughts… Damn it, masturbating sounded so good right then! Stupid, _stupid_ thoughts!

Zoro put down the 6 ton-barbell and wiped off his face with a towel. The cold air felt good against his sweat soaked skin as he climbed down from the Crews Nest/gym and headed to the bathroom.

"Sanji's still pissed at you because of the waistcoat," Usopp snickered when he walked past him. The sniper sat on the railing, fishing with Franky.

"That looked so funny," laughed Franky. Zoro just hmfed and continued to the bathroom. It was a good thing he had his black sweatpants on.

Finally alone in the bathroom, Zoro pulled off the sweatpants, stepped inside the shower and turned on the water.

"Khh…!" His hands moved to his groin, slowly obeying his growing need. He leaned against the wall with his elbow and rest his head on his forearm. Even if Thousand Sunny was bigger than Going Merry, the bathroom was the only place for some privacy. Zoro made a silent sound, close to a laugh. Really, the bathroom was probably the favorite place for all the men aboard.

_For all the men_. Ugh, Sanji. Pictures of him in the bathroom flashed in Zoro's mind, and he grimaced, quicken his strokes. He bet the Blondie was here more often than himself, fantasizing about his precious ladies. The image of his pale, wet body stuck inside Zoro's head, like the cake mixture had on his cheek. His slender hands, rubbing his chest and stroking his thighs. Zoro rest his head against the wall instead, reaching for his balls with his other hand, visualizing Sanji doing the same. No, Sanji's hands was _on him_, stroking _him_, giving him one of the most erotic hand jobs he had ever been offered. He could almost feel Sanji's body pressing against his back, the water spraying over them. "Uhh…" He stoked himself faster, breathing huskily through parted lips. Zoro knew he wouldn't be able to live out his fantasies in reality, so why not give in to the needs? No one could blame him for it, in his dreams he could be true to his desires. For once he was the one submissive.

`_Wait… submissive_?´ Zoro swallowed hard. The word bore into him. Would Sanji agree to…? His breaths got irregular as the Sanji behind him started to fondle his anus.

"Ahh! Mm… hah, S-sanji…!"

Outside the bathroom, a dirty waistcoat fell to the floor.

**tbc**

Hm, I should re-name this fic to "The Cliff-hander", huh? LOL!


	3. Chapter 3

Yay! An other chapter **at last!** Enjoy!

**Chapter 3**

_`Is this for real…?´_

Those sounds. Oh shit, why couldn't the shower be louder… so he could pretend those moans was from pain and not from…!

`_Why the shit is he fantasizing about _me_? Is he gay or something_…?´ Sanji pinched the bridge of his nose. `… _of coarse he's _gay_ if he moans my name while_…_ he… GAWD_!´

He shouldn't be there. He didn't want to be there. Sanji quickly picked up the dirty waistcoat and hurried down the ladder to the library.

_oOo_

That day couldn't have gone by any slower. Each time they walked past the other, each time Sanji felt his gaze on his back, each time he heard that _deep, annoying voice_ – it was eating him up inside, making him paranoid. Had the green-head stared at him this much before? How come he, Sanji, hadn't notice until now?

`_Shit_.´

It was ten minutes until the dinner would be served, and he was doing the finishing touch on the sauce. Everything else was already done, waiting on the table. The aromas of today's serving floated heavy in the kitchen, and Sanji could hear Luffy, Usopp and Chopper drool outside the door (he had told them that they wouldn't get any desert if they entered the kitchen before he called). Finally done with the sauce, he poured it in a sauceboat and placed it on the table, along with the steak, potatoes, salad and bread. Satisfied with the simple dish he had prepared, he wiped his hands on a towel and walked to the door to call the crew.

"YES! DINNER!"

"Get the _shit_ away from the door, Luffy! – Nami swaaan~! Robin chwaaan~! Dinner's served ! – _Don't you shitheads dare touch the food before the ladies_!"

"Sanji, this smells sooo good!"

"Luffy stop, or do you want the wrath of the terrifying womanizer?"

"Eh? Woo-… snizer? Is that some kind of sea creature?"

"Yes! And it is known for its never-satisfied craving for women, always lurking in the depths of the sea, waiting for its victims. Bur fear not! I, the Great Captain Usopp, am a master of Woo-snizer-hunting!"

"Eeehh? Really? That is so cool, Usopp!"

"Nahaha… Not really, see, these creatures are easy to catch, all you have to do is to lure them with some panties, and to look for the bright, blond curls that decorate their scales…"

"Now really, Usopp?"

" – __!"

"The steak smells wonderful, Sanji-kun."

"Ah~! Such sweet and kind compliments from your oh-so-kissable lips, Mellorine~! And Robin chwan, what a beautiful dress you wear! Here, let me help you to your chair…"

"No need, thank you very much, Cook-san."

`_God, why is he staring at me for? Don't he have other things to do, like drinking booze or something…?´_ Sanji dared a peek at the swordsman, who seemed to have a conversation with Franky, but he knew Zoro had his mind on something else, he could _feel_ it. It was this feeling he got when fighting and the enemy were about to strike at his blind spot – he knew it would come, but couldn't see it… He wanted to kick the bastard, yell at him. And when he had the words at the tip of his tongue, he pulled them back, not wanting to embarrass the swordsman or himself.

_Really_. Since when did he not want to embarrass Zoro? Wasn't this yet another issue worth teasing, another meaningless trigger for one of their thousands meaningless arguments? But no, Sanji kept his silence, because if he as much as breathe a word about what he had witnessed, the _Bushido_ would know he had heard. Shit, the whole thing had turned out to a situation Sanji couldn't grasp. Hadn't he, in secret, made fun of the green haired, trainaholic, testosterone-filled '_I'm-ripped-to-shreds-and-still-able-to-beat-the-crap-out-of-you'_ Zoro's gayness? And now the idiot had made it clear he was indeed gay. Who would Sanji be if he made fun of someone's sexual preferences? No one blamed _him_ for fantasizing about Nami or Robin or any other woman who happened to cross his path. Everyone knew what he thought of when he went early to bed, or when he ogled Nami's newest bikini. Why wouldn't Zoro be allowed to imagine… _not naked bodies, Sanji_!

Sanji swallowed hard, because his throat had suddenly turned to sandpaper, and threw a quick glance at the swordsman in the exact same time Zoro decided to take a chance, their gazes met, stuck like that _goddamned cake mixture_ _which had doomed that day_, and for that split second they both knew the other knew, before the unmistakable sound of canons brutally interrupted the Strawhats' peaceful dinner.

_oOo_

"Yosh!"

Luffy landed on Sunny Go's deck with a laugh, as the last masts of the marine ships crashed into the sea. Sanji and Robin had also made it to safety of the grassy deck, while the others jumped the leftovers of the three impressive ships (Zoro had dived after Chopper who had fallen into the ocean).

"There he is," Nami sighed, and tried to brush as much dust off of her top as possible. Robin smiled and waved at the marines who clung to the pieces of wood and slowly floated away.

"Well, we better get away, before other marine ship come to pick them up," said Franky. "Let's hoist the sails!"

The others agreed, and soon they flew across the waves, the marines long forgotten in the sun setting, colourful horizon.

"Sanji! Barbeque! Party!"

And who would say no to their captain at such a request? Guitar tones filled the air in minutes along with the delicious aromas of grilled meat, fish and corn. Warm summer breezes swept over Sunny Go's sails, and the Strawhats striped to lighter clothing as the day's prolonged cold weather was changed to a hot night. In between songs and fights over the first grilled ribs Luffy had started a wrestling match with Franky, which soon ended up as an odd pile of tickling and screams and pillow fight. Usopp and Nami joined in and it was just a matter of time before Zoro was dragged into it all as well (because he got really pissed when all millions of downs stuck to his grilled ribs and fell into his beer).

"Huhuhu…"

"Having fun, Robin chan?" Sanji lent against the railing beside the archaeologist, a charming smile on his face.

"Yes, very," she answered, still snickering and watching the scene under the main mast. "And you, Chef san?"

"How can I not, when I stand here beside a blossom of the sea?"

Robin threw him an amused look, and then shook her head, her snicker ebbing away.

"What are you shaking your head for? It's true," Sanji said.

"Sanji… how should I say this…"

`_Ah! Have she finally come to understand her true feelings for me? This beautiful swan, flying into my arms_…´

"Robin, you want some cider?" Nami handed the archaeologist at bottle of pear cider and leant against the railing beside her. She noticed Robin was giving Sanji a strange look, so she ended up looking at Sanji too.

`_Th… this can't be happening? Two angels, falling in love with me…! Ghhaaa, I can die as a happy man_!´

"You don't need to say anything, oh Diamonds of the sky! Let us just seal our undying love for each other with kisses as sweet as –"

"No." Nami's answer stunned him with his arms reaching out for the two women.

"Sanji, I think this has gone a bit too far now," Robin said, blooming out hands from Sanji's sides and gently pulled his arms down. "What I was going to say, is that these feelings you have for me and Nami won't be returned."

"Ever," Nami filled in. "Please don't fool yourself, you know there won't be anything between us, other than friendship."

Sanji found it difficult to form any words. "N-nami swan… Robin ch-chan…"

"And it would be so much easier for all of us if you could treat us like that, like friends, not like potential brides, it is quite embarrassing."

And with that, they left him.

_oOo_

Maybe it was his thirteenth beer and twenty-seventh cigarette that night, but why would he care? Sanji sat on the steps leading up to the kitchen, with his head leaning heavily in his hand and a headache slowly rising. He watched Luffy, Chopper, Usopp and Franky playing charades in the lights of colourful lanterns. Nami and Robin had gone to bed long ago, leaving Sanji all alone. How had such a romantic, enjoyable evening turned out to be such a nightmare? That day had been a total rollercoaster, and Sanji was ready to puke. Argh… He lift the bottle of beer and emptied it.

Footsteps closed up from behind him, but he didn't pay them any attention. It was probably just Usopp or Franky who wanted more grilled corn, but guess what, Sanji wasn't in the mood for cooking just now. He felt like kicking some ass, to let off some steam, because he was really pissed at everything. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the person sitting down beside him. Mumbling unintelligent sentences under his breath, he lost his grip of the empty bottle, the rattling noise of glass against glass as it took other empty bottles with it on its way down the stairs waking him up from his drunken slumber. Sanji looked dazed at the rolling bottles, further up the stairs at his own shoes and then at the boots beside him. Hm. He bet those boots was comfortable. Stable in battle. Black pants were stuck into them, pants that were a bit worn. Those pants were familiar… And that dark blue A-shirt, didn't it remind him of the heavens for some odd reason? Did he remember it from some dream he might have had…? Bright white clouds and flat fishes and blue sauces and gods… yeah, it must have been a dream. Sanji took a deep drag of his cigarette. Broad shoulders and a strong jaw. That green hair… _Like that idiot swordsman_. He had been avoiding Sanji all day, it was weird, he always picked fights over trivial matters (mostly because of Sanji's attempts of flirting with the girls, but Sanji didn't want to think about the girls right then). Zoro must have seen him converse with them earlier. So this was about that, that Marimo wanted to laugh at him. But that didn't make any sense either. Was it normal to laugh at someone you felt attracted to? Because Sanji guessed the idiot felt some sort of attraction towards him, otherwise he wouldn't fantasize him naked. And that was a thought which made him want to laugh; the man he had once seen as a rival, a threat to his ladies, an emotionless brute… turned out to be someone much alike himself.

As Sanji looked at Zoro, a very drunk look at that, he wondered what it would be like, being gay that was. Not wanting to look at women, not wanting to touch them, and not being affected by their scents or soft bodies. From Sanji's point of view, women were everything men weren't. Men did not have those curves, those petite hands, those beautiful eyes that could melt icebergs. Men were just muscles and more muscles. And why would any guy want their hands on another dudes junk when they could touch themselves? What was is with Sanji that made Zoro fantasize about him?

Zoro's lips moved. They didn't look like a woman's lips, wasn't as full as Nami's or Robin's. It must feel weird to kiss them, lips that normally were wrapped around a swords hilt. Sanji moved his sloshed gaze up to a pair of dark, iron grey eyes, and slowly it clicked for him that maybe Zoro had said something.

"… Wha'?"

Zoro repeated himself. "You want some?"

At first Sanji didn't get what the man meant, but then he saw the bottle in the swordsman's hand. He accepted it and immediately took a swing. It was whiskey, with a strong taste of oak, liquor expected when offered by that heavy drinker. The alcohol burned his throat, but the taste was perfect. Sanji nodded his thanks, because words seemed overestimated, and Zoro nodded back. He finished his cigarette and lit up a new one.

"So." Sanji turned his gaze to the stem, where Luffy, Usopp and Franky screamed with laughter at a questionable imitation of Ener preformed by Chopper. The charades was very random and it all was just a blur to Sanji's gooey consciousness.

"What?"

"I didn' know you're gay," the chef slurred, head yet again leaning in his hand. Oblivious of Zoro's stare, Sanji stuck his cigarette in between his teeth and left it there.

"Yeah?" As it was quite clear he wouldn't get an answer soon, he tried again. "When did you find out?"

"The day befo' today… yesterday."

"Oh."

What was that supposed to look like? Sanji squinted his eyes and tried to understand what kind of charade Luffy pulled off. The rubber-man was waving his arms over his head in a very disturbing manner in time with his tip-toe spins.

"Who told you?"

Sanji guided the bottle of whiskey to his mouth, but hesitated. That was a question worth its answer; who had told him? Had anyone?

"I… don' know. You, I guess." Yes, that _was_ a reasonable conclusion. Satisfied Sanji gulped down some more whiskey.

"Huh. How did I… tell you?" Zoro received a tired '_are you stupid'_ look from the blonde, and Sanji waved his hand vaguely.

"You moaned my name a few times, is all." When Sanji saw Zoro's chocked expression, he gently shook his head. "I don' blame you, I masturbate all the time." The confession hung in air, long since forgotten by the chef, and a total question mark for the first mate. It didn't take long before the well built body beside Sanji started to shake, shakes that soon developed to a load guffaw. Sanji first stared dumbstruck at him, but watching that amused look on Zoro's face made him laugh as well.

"The shit are we laughin' at?" Sanji asked when he could talk again.

"You're an idiot," grinned Zoro and took the whiskey from Sanji, taking a swing himself.

An idiot, eh? Nami and Robin probably thought that about him, too. The memory of their rejection burned his heart again. "...I already knew that."

"Hey." Sanji tried to steal back the whiskey, but Zoro kept it at arm's length from him. "Hey, don't let that event get the better of you."

Sanji kept struggling to get a hold at the bottle, and was leaning halfway over Zoro. "I'm drunk, you block head, don' try tell me anythin'...!"

"They aren't the only women in the world, are they? They are still your nakama, for hell's sake!"

"The fuck did they care? No!"

"Yes, they did, 'cuz they ended something before it could hurt you even more!"

A small light of understanding lit up in Sanji's eye, and his struggling eased. "... Wha'?"

"Sanji, they love you _as a friend_. They value that very much, so they don't want to cross any lines, do you understand?"

The meaning of Zoro's words slowly settled inside Sanji's mind, and he rested his arms on his knees. Friends... nakama. He looked up at the group at the stem. They were all idiots, but they were still _nakama_, as simple as that. A breeze ruffled his hair.

"Hm." Sanji met Zoro's gaze. "You're awfully nice t'night."

The swordsman didn't have any answer at that, or it wasn't necessary, because there was this _understanding_ between them. Sanji's lip twitched; who would have thought Zoro of all would be the one to drag him up from his miserable state? Those eyes, which normally mocked him, laughed at him, or were filled with such heart trembling rage, were suddenly warm, almost searching for something. `_What does he look for...? Doesn't matter, talking with him once in a while isn't that bad. So close_...´ Warm lips touched his, barely brushing his lower lip. The kiss was over before it started, and they locked eyes again. `_Ah... he wanted to know if he could kiss me_...´ Deep inside him something screamed that this wasn't supposed to happen, but he ignored it. He could always blame it (whatever _it_ was) on the booze later on. Sanji leant slightly forward and Zoro met him, softly moving their lips together, and Sanji sighted because this felt so soothing and so _right_.

**Tbc**

Hm hmm, I enjoyed writing this chapter. Please review! XD


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The taste of the other man rolled over his tongue as lips parted and granted him access. Excitement raged through him, clouding the fuzzy thoughts of `_This is so wrong_!´ and `_He is taking advantage of you_!´, but the kiss was too heated to ignore... The idiot swordsman kissed him with such force that Sanji felt his body tremble, and he held on to strong shoulders so that he wouldn't fall to the floor. Somehow they had managed to manoeuvre to the men's quarters, and now they leant heavily against the door. Zoro pulled away from the kiss first, and Sanji made an attempt to catch his lips again.

"Damn it! Get back ´ere, Marimo...!"

"I will, just wait," Zoro growled. He reached for the lower hem of his A-shirt and pulled the garment over his head, tossing it aside and leaving his chest bare. Sanji, not knowing where to put his hands, tried to get a grip of the wall behind him as to gain some kind of balance and just locked eyes with the younger man. He caught a glimpse of a grin before Zoro leaned in again and started to suck on Sanji´s lower lip. Large hands sneaked around slim hips and caressed his sides, sending shivers up and down his body. Zoro run his tongue along Sanji's now swollen lip, earning a soft sigh from the chef. Soon they were in a rough tongue-fight again, biting each other's lips every now and then. Sanji's hands had found their way back to Zoro's broad shoulders for support as the pair of hands at his sides had moved to his back, eagerly rubbing. The warmth was radiating from the swordsman's body, and Sanji felt how he started to sweat.

"Let's get this off, shall we?" Zoro whispered, and tugged at Sanji's shirt. The blonde barely nodded, too occupied kissing those skilled lips, and shrugged the shirt off as Zoro unbuttoned it. But the shirt didn't fall off completely, Sanji wouldn't let go of the safety that was Zoro's shoulders and Zoro decided that touching Sanji's torso was much more satisfying at the moment. He trailed kisses down Sanji's neck, nibbling ever so slightly and licking at the hot skin, all while caressing a well built six-pack and brushing his thumbs over nipples that got hard from the treatment. A moan escaped the chef.

`_Holy shit! How is he doing that...! His hands... feels fucking amazing_!´ Sanji wanted to scream, order Zoro to kiss him again, but he was too nervous and too embarrassed to move. Where Zoro's hands had touched him felt like on fire, and the way Zoro's tongue lapped at his neck... `_He... is tasting me... trying out a new dish_...´ The thought made him moan again.

"Zoro..."

Sharp teeth dragged over sensitive skin. "... yeah?" Zoro looked up to see a flustered face, eyes tightly closed and lips slightly parted, silently panting. "... Hey, tell me if I'm going to fast, okay?"

Zoro's low voice in his ear. It sent shivers down his spine. He could feel soft hairs against his cheek as Zoro leant closer, moving his hands to Sanji's sides again.

"Are you okay?"

Sanji had to lick his lips and swallow. "Yeah..." How the heck could he be okay? He was making out with a dude, and getting turned on by it! This was against everything Sanji had ever believed in. And where was this going, anyway? Sanji knew he was so drunk he probably wouldn't remember much the next morning, and the small voice in his head which still protested loudly told him this could lead to something he would regret. "Wha... what are we doin´?"

Zoro's breathe caressed Sanji's ear. "Just tell me when you wanna stop." Their eyes met. "I won't do anything you don't feel like."

Sanji made a sound somewhat close to a snort. "You make it sound like I'm a virgin."

"Well... aren't you one? When it comes to men?" That made Sanji more nervous and embarrassed, and it must have shown. "Damn it, I didn't mean it like that..." Zoro sighed and slowly rubbed Sanji's sides.

"I maybe am a virgin, but I do know ´bout... homosexuality... and stuff... Shit, you must think I'm a pussy...!"

"Now why would I think that? Sanji, I've never thought of you as a pussy." He brought a hand to the side of Sanji's jaw. "If it's enough for you, I'll feel completely satisfied just kissing you like this."

The little moon light that fell through the small windows made it possible for Sanji to make out the features of the swordsman and the look he had in his eyes. At that moment Sanji knew this wasn't something Zoro would take advantage of, or making fun of; he was dead serious. And that was the most soothing feeling he had have for a long time. With a sigh Sanji closed his eyes again and leaned in to meet Zoro's hot lips.

He felt Zoro's hands slowly rubbing his hips, and it made his face burn. Zoro was so in the mood, no matter how much he tried to convince Sanji kissing was enough. And honestly, kissing wasn't enough for Sanji either. As they continued their tongue-wrestling Sanji let his arms rest around Zoro's neck, since it seemed like a great idea, and felt really good. Zoro's hands moved down his thighs, up behind his back and down again to his hips, and his lips left Sanji's to kiss down his neck. Sanji moaned, letting his head fall back and rest against the wall.

"You like this?" Zoro whispered in Sanji's ear. His chest was pressed to the chef's, making it impossible to ignore their lower regions, all while sucking at the tender flesh below Sanji's ear, something he soon learned was one of Sanji's turn-ons. He dared to sneak a hand behind the older man and squeeze a firm ass, which gained him a surprised sound that turned into another low moan. Sanji rolled his head from the wall onto a broad shoulder and hid his flustered face in the junction of Zoro's neck. A second hand joined the first, and Sanji caught himself thinking `_I'm actually enjoying another man's hands on my ass_!´. As his moans rolled over his tongue the squeezes grew rougher. He couldn't take it anymore. His dick couldn't take it anymore. Sanji pressed himself to Zoro's groin, groaning out loud at the feeling of pleasure. Somewhere close to his ear he could hear Zoro groan in his deep voice, not exactly expecting that move from Sanji. Almost immediately Zoro pressed back, and they began a rhythmical dry-humping, Sanji with his arms tightly around Zoro's neck and Zoro's hands eagerly kneading Sanji's butt-cheeks.

"Sanji," Zoro hoarse voice came out in a soft whisper in the darkness, before he found Sanji's lips again. The blonde answered his kiss, completely absorbed in the heat of the moment. "Sanji..." Zoro moved his left hand from Sanji's ass to the growing tent in his wrinkled suit trousers, and caressed.

"Yes...!" Sanji moaned into Zoro's ear, grinding into the warmth of his hand; Zoro could have cummed right on the spot.

"I want to feel you," the green haired man whispered, adding some pressure to Sanji's groin, just to make sure the cook knew what he meant. "I want to touch you." Sanji's hot breathe washed over his bare chest, he could hear the moans change, but there were not any protests. He unbuttoned the trousers and unzipped the zipper, going slow so he wouldn't scare the now slightly shaking man draped around his neck. His hand slid down under the hem of Sanji's silk underwear, feeling the soft hairs, and touched the base of Sanji's erection.

"_Khhh_...!"

Zoro was pressing himself against Sanji's right thigh as he began to stroke the chef. The low moans and erratic breathes spilled out from the hot lips Zoro knew was swollen from kissing, and he let himself get lost in the moment, feeling himself get closer to the golden edge he was sure Sanji, too, would reach soon. Sanji mumbled something inaudible and resumed his humping, the hand around his cock stroking him faster, and the tension building up. He felt Zoro's lips and tongue on his neck again, sucking hard, even using some teeth. The bizarre thought of Zoro making love to his neck sent a jolt of fire down his spine, and he came with a loud groan, his cock pulsating in the swordsman's warm hand. Zoro, still with his other hand on Sanji's ass, quickly pulled down his trousers enough to pull out his own hard-on, and it only took him some seconds to jerk off, Sanji's outburst fresh in his mind.

They both stood there, arms around each other, panting heavily. Zoro notice that Sanji was about to pass out, so he wiped off his cum-cowered hand on his pants, lift up the light cook bridal style and carried him to a hammock. The blonde was already asleep when Zoro had pulled a quilt over him. For a minute he just gazed at the man.  
´_He'll have a huge hang-over tomorrow_,´ he thought. But for now, Sanji looked relaxed, happily sleeping and completely oblivious to the world. Zoro bent down and kissed him gently on the lips. ´_Sweet dreams, idiot. 'Cause you're worth them_.'

**Tbc**


	5. Chapter 5

Gaaaah, there is not a single excuse for my laziness. And you have given me such lovely reviews too! Thank you! *Mwah!*

But here you guys go, another chapter in my cliffhanger-fanfic. Enjoy! 

**Chapter 5**

The headache was enough to split mountains, Sanji was sure of it. And to add it to the horrible morning, he had woken up to find that Nami and Robin had made breakfast.

"You seemed to sleep pretty deep, so I asked Nami," Luffy said, chewing on a grilled fish. "Don't worry about it, that was quite a party we had last night, wasn't it? Gahaha!"

Sanji watched with aching eyes as Luffy walked away briskly. He couldn't remember the last time he had been drinking so much he slept through breakfast.

`_I got to freshen up, and then I'll make preparations for lunch_...´

On his way to the bathroom he met Usopp. The sharpshooter made a face when he saw the chef.

"I never thought of you as a heavy drinker, Sanji. Take it easy, okay?"

"Sure..." Sanji mumbled, eyes squinting in the sharp sunlight, wishing Usopp wouldn't talk so loudly. In his sleep drunken state, Usopp's stares were lost on him. Sanji continued his way to the bathroom, dragging his feet after him, and was at least awake enough to lock the door. He pulled off his shirt, let the garment fall to the floor and reached for the zipper on his trousers to pull them off too. It was then when he noticed his trousers were already unzipped. And felt uncomfortably dirty. Strange, he never slept with his clothes on. He must have been _very_ drunk. But it wasn't until he pulled down his trousers when he noticed something was off; traces of dry cum all over the place.

"Shit..."

He didn't have any memories of jacking off last night. Now when he looked more closely, he discovered small bruises on his hips. He didn't usually get bruises from masturbating. And he vaguely remembered the rejection from the girls, so there was no chance that he had gone to bed with any of them.

`_I don't remember a thing after they talked to me_...´

So how come that he felt so relaxed, like he did after a night in a brothel? Think, Sanji, think! If you hadn't had sex with the girls, and your trousers were on, but there are signs of you having an orgasm, what _did_ happened last night?

Sanji shook his head as his headache throbbed painfully, and he quickly stepped in under the shower head and turned the knobs to get a comfortable water temperature. The procedure to scrub, wash and rinse took a bit longer than usual, but oh how good it was to be clean. Even the towel felt softer against his skin, and the blue silk boxers that he liked so much was the dot over the i. When Sanji finally thought the morning was about to get better, he looked himself over in the mirror and stared. 

Large hickeys covered his neck. There were even bruises on his lips. Whatever had happened last night, it hadn't been sweet.

`_Shit, it looks like I made out with a wrestler! A huge, motherfucking wrestler full of rage_!´ As much as Sanji wanted to know how he got the bruises, he wanted to forge- `_**Shit**__! Usopp stared at me like crazy, he must suspect something! If he don't know what happened already_...!´

He wanted to crawl back into his hammock.

_oOo_

Sanji made sushi for lunch. Not that the rest of the crew complained, everything Sanji cooked was delicious. This made it also easier on Sanji, since the headache hadn't gone, even though Chopper had given him two painkillers.

"Pass me the wasabi, please, and the soy sauce. Thank you Sanji."

Sanji just nodded at Robin, his mouth full of nigiri. In his mind he saw himself doing a small dance of joy, giving her compliments. That was what he usually did, at least. But now he couldn't find the spark to do it. Nami and Robin had been nice all day, first helping out with breakfast and now smiling, pretending everything was normal.

`_Why do I feel so damn guilty_!´

Sanji kind of understood why Nami and Robin had turned him down so abruptly; it wasn't as if his flirting was any discrete. But it still hurt. And now, after they had helped him out, he felt ashamed. Did they know what had happened after they had talked with him...? He was getting paranoid.

"I like your sweater today, Sanji kun," Nami said casually and drank some of her beer. Sanji smiled at her, though to him it seemed like a weird grimace.

"Thank you, Nami swan. Do you want more beer?" Sanji felt self-conscious at the mention of his sweater, and straightened his collar to be sure the hickeys were properly covered. After he had handed Nami one more beer, he just sat and ate as slow as he could, wishing everyone would finish quickly so he could start wash the dishes, have some alone-time. 

Soon enough his crewmates left the dining room, and Sanji found himself in a much welcomed silence. The work to wash dishes was quickly done. Sanji opened a window and lit a cigarette, letting the nicotine calm his nerves. But the silence didn't last long; the galley door opened and Zoro walked in.

"What the hell do you want?" snapped Sanji and flicked some ash in the sink. Zoro sat down behind the kitchen counter and eyed the chef. "What?"

"How do you feel?"

The question took him of guard. _Did everyone know what happened last night but him_?

"What do you mean?"

Zoro rest his chin in his hands. "You don't remember what happened last night, am I right?"

`_What's with all these questions_?´ Sanji turned his back and pretended to be busy with something in a cabinet, again hoping the sweater was enough to cover up the bruises on his neck. "That's none of your business."

"You got real drunk."

"Oh really? I couldn't have figured that one out myself, thank you," Sanji hissed, slamming the cabinet door shut. He glared at Zoro, about to spit out some venomous insult which he hoped would be enough to start a fight so he could kick the bastard out from his kitchen. But the swordsman interrupted him.

"After the girls turned you down."

Another low blow. "Is that it? You got here so you could have a laugh? You know what – fuck you," he said, pointing a finger at the other man." I have had enough shit for today, I won't tolerate any smart-ass. More bullshit from that mouth of yours and you'll go hungry for the rest of the week, got it?"

"Got it," Zoro said and put up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Just thought you might wanna know what happened last night." 

Sanji felt a chill down his spine. This just proved that everyone knew whatever had happened. And Zoro sounded so serious, shit, had he done something unacceptable? But everyone had seemed so happy and normal at lunch just some minutes ago... No, maybe "whatever had happened" had done so without many eyewitnesses? Sanji looked at Zoro again, searched his face for clues.

"Damn, spit it out so I'm over with it."

Zoro crossed his arms on the counter and decided that Sanji was able to hear him out.

"We talked, about what had happened between Nami, Robin and you. You were already so drunk I doubt you understood everything, but you got the picture..."

"... Yeah..."

"Yeah, you also mentioned something about me being gay."

"Oh shit, I did? Eh, sorry man, I didn't mean to make a big deal out of it, I..."

"It's okay, I just got surprised you didn't know before."

Sanji sucked on his cigarette nervously. He remembered two days ago, when he had overheard Zoro masturbate in the shower.

"And then what?" Sanji asked.

The green haired man looked him straight in the eye. "We kissed." 

Had he heard him right? The world around Sanji decided to do somersaults in slow-motion, all while the kitchen walls started to cave in on him. He couldn't think; for several seconds he just stood there, staring into space.

`_We kissed... we kissed... he must be lying, that would be a horrible joke, even from him... there's no way I would let that... But wait-´_

As if someone had lit a light over Sanji's head, he thought of the bruises on his neck.

"Did we...?" Sanji had to put both hands on the counter and shake his head to clear his thoughts. He closed his eyes and swallowed. "Did we _just_ kiss?"

Zoro held his gaze at Sanji. "We went to the men's quarters and I gave you a handjob."

And when Sanji thought Zoro couldn't get any more straight-forward... Before Sanji could stop himself he heard himself blurt out, "Why did you do that!"

`_What a brilliant question! I should be more concerned about him toughing me at all!_´

"You seemed to need it."

Sanji made a guttural sound and lowered his head between his arms.

"Sanji, are you okay? 'cause if you're gonna start kicking around, let me know beforehand."

Sanji shook his head. "No," he said with a muffled voice. "D-did anyone... see us?"

"No," Zoro answered. "They were busy partying." 

Zoro let Sanji have a moment, since it looked like the chef would burst and throw a fit. Sanji, on the other hand, was very proud of himself taking this as calmly as he did. Because when he had thought about it all, this – _the whole kissing and handjob thing_ – had just been on a drunken whim. Yes, that was it. He was now relieved he couldn't remember it, he was certain he would have a much harder time accepting it if he could look back on it. Now he could pretend it had never happened, the bruises would go away (he refused to think closer about how he had gotten them) and they would all move on with their merry lives.

"Okay." He took a deep breath and straightened up, brushing some dust off his coat. Then he walked to the sink and washed his hands. Zoro looked flabbergasted at the blond man as he started to dig around in the cabinets once more and put bowls, pans and other various utensils on the counter to start preparing a snack.

"That's it? `Okay´?"

Sanji stopped as if to decide if he had forgotten something. "Yeah," he said briskly and pulled out a drawer to pick out knives, spoons and beaters. He dived into the pantry to collect the ingredients he would need, and fished up the Doskoi Panda-apron to tie it around his waist. He was so absorbed in his work that he didn't see Zoro stand up. It wasn't until he turned around from preparing the oven and nearly bumping into the swordsman that he took notice of him.

"What are you still doing here? Get out, I'm working-"

Zoro grabbed him by his collar and slammed him into a cabinet door. As if it wasn't enough, he surprised him even more and kissed him hard.

Zoro broke the kiss and looked at Sanji. Neither of them spoke right away; not knowing what to say and too chocked to actually form words. In the end, Zoro spoke up first.

"If you ever feel alone... or if you can't wait to get to a brothel... you know where to find me," he said with a coarse voice. Sanji's face turned a deep shade of red.

"Get out of my kitchen."

**Tbc**

Hm, seems like I will make this story one chapter longer. It is so much fun to write about a paranoid Sanji~!


	6. Chapter 6

First of all, I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed this story! Those comments made me really happy, and I'm glad I could contribute the OP fandom with this piece. I am also very sorry for taking so long to update, writers blocks are pure evil D:

**Chapter 6**

"_There...! Thought you were in... Oi! Where did that Shichibukai go? ... What's with all this blood...? Oi, are you alive? Where is he? What happened here?"_

"_... Nothing... happened..."_

Sanji woke up with a start, sweat covering him like cold silk. His irregular breathes mingled with the sounds of the sea and Sunny Go creaking in the night. As his heartbeat evened out to more tolerable pace, he turned around on his back trying to straighten his t-shirt and boxers so they felt more comfortable.

`... _fuck_,´ he thought and swallowed to get rid of the dryness in his mouth. Ever since they had taken off from Thriller Bark a week ago, he had had nightmares. The pictures of Zoro standing in a sea of his own blood kept flashing in front of him each time he dozed off. It nerved him to no end; that he couldn't put it behind. Everyone else had quickly moved on to same old routines after they had set sail from that giant graveyard, now merrier since Brook had joined the crew, accompany their laughter and songs with music. Sure, Sanji had played along; smiling and excitedly talking about what they would find when they reached the famous Fishman Island. But when no one looked his way, his mind was clouded by dark thoughts.

It didn't help that Zoro's offer still whispered in his ears.

_`Shithead! What the fuck was he thinking, suggesting something like that?´_

Sanji tossed in his hammock, tucking the blanket tighter under his chin. Light snores could be heard around him.

`_Where the hell did he even get the idea? It wasn't something I did that caught his attention, was it?´_ He inspected the ceiling while he tried to remember what could have made the swordsman to suddenly see him as a potential... fuck buddy. Hell, Sanji hadn't even known he was gay since some weeks ago!

`_Was it after that Davy Back Fight maybe? Because we fought together?´_ Sanji mulled it over and over, but it didn't seem likely. Zoro hadn't shown any suspicious behaviour before that episode when Sanji overheard him in the shower. No, Zoro had probably just caught the idea from out of the blue, maybe driven by sexual frustration or something. Not that he couldn't have found a brothel in Water Seven –

`_What the shit am I thinking? I shouldn't be wondering if that Marimo have gotten any sex!´_

Sanji had quickly covered his mouth with his hands as to prevent the sudden gasp of surprise from escaping his throat. He glanced over the other guys, seeing them fast asleep, and let out a sigh. Then he snickered. The hammock slightly rocked from the silent laughter.

_oOo_

Zoro had gotten a go-ahead from Chopper to sit with the others at the dining table, and he happily joined the conversations as they ate breakfast that morning. Just laying in the infirmary all week had been boring as hell.

"I couldn't believe my eyes! I mean, it's Nami – "

" – she didn't even mind me taking this glass bracelet, look! It's cool, yeah?" Luffy coughed into his arm and showed off the simple black bracelet, the light reflecting in the glass orbs decorating it.

"And Lola gave us her mother´s Vivre Card in return, we might have use of it in the New World," Nami smiled, munching on a sandwich. Zoro agreed while drinking his tea and the conversation slipped in on the Fishman Island topic, excitement thick in the air and still growing.

Sanji listened with half an ear at Nami and Robin talking about fashion. He also tried to contribute with his opinions in the talk Brook and Franky had about mermaids, but he found that he didn't put all his heart in it as he normally would; still tired from not getting enough sleep. Every now and then he would throw an eye at the other end of the table, watching Luffy and Zoro talking and eating. Sanji wasn't sure if anyone else noticed it, but Zoro's breakfast was spared gluttony rubber fingers.

`_It says a lot when Luffy let someone eat their meal in peace_,´ Sanji thought. He kept watching them talk, Zoro joking around with Luffy, and Luffy laughing and coughing on what seemed like bread stuffed with sandwich spreads. The scene was nothing out of the ordinary, but Sanji felt a small thug at the corners of his mouth. Home was where the heart was.

`_There. No doubt_.´

The more he observed, the more obvious it was. The way Zoro looked at Luffy, how he smiled with content... Sanji wouldn't be able to show such feelings to their captain. `_I wonder how they met_...´

Suddenly Sanji noticed that Zoro was looking at him over the edge of his mug of tea. `_Shit_!´

The conversation the two of them had shared weeks ago, when Zoro had told him about what had happened when he was drunk, flooded his mind like a tsunami.

_`... You also mentioned something about me being gay... I just got surprised that you didn't know before_...´

Sanji busied himself with the last of his omelette and threw in some wishful thinking in the mermaid-debate. Usopp had also taken interest in the topic, and they were all deep in discussing mermaid flirting when the worried voice of Chopper caught their attention.

"Luffy, you have a fever!"

Seven Strawhat heads turned to the end of the dining table, where Chopper stood in his Heavy Point with a hand on Luffy's forehead.

"Eeh?" Luffy said, coughing a little and stared back at his doctor friend.

"I noticed you were a bit pale yesterday too," Chopper informed. His face had the famous No-Bullshit expression, and he grabbed Luffy's wrist to take his pulse. "Hm... I want you to follow me to the infirmary." With that said, Chopper turned back to his Brain Point and opened the door to the infirmary.

"But Chopper, I've never been sick in my life," Luffy tried to laugh. He glanced at the others around the table with a wry smile.

"I want to test your blood to look for infections!" they could hear Chopper say. Luffy heaved a sigh, shrugged his shoulders and followed the little reindeer to be checked upon.

Everyone stared after him. Luffy, sick? Here they had been sailing the Grand Line for months and months, running around like crazy and fighting crazily strong enemies, and Luffy hadn't had any problems that couldn't have been solved with only food and sleep. That he suddenly would come down with a sickness was ridiculous!

"Do you have more tea, Twirly Brows?"

"Yeah, I'll go get the pot," Sanji said and stood up. Nami and Robin, who already had finished eating, also stood up to leave the table.

"Thank you for breakfast, Sanji kun."

"Thank you, Cook san."

"You're welcome, Nami swan~, Robin chwan~!"

Usopp, Franky and Brook continued to talk, even dragging Zoro into the conversation, and Sanji began to clean the dining table and wash dishes.

_oOo_

"Chopper, can I come in?"

"No, I'm sorry Zoro, but Luffy needs his rest, and I don't know yet if this is contagious."

"Wha- he's gotten sicker?"

"Get out Zoro, please! I'll tell about his condition when I know more!"

The little reindeer closed the door in Zoro's face, leaving him to stare at it in frustration. Luffy had been inside the infirmary over six hours now, and by the sound of his coughing and Choppers movement, whatever Luffy had caught was getting more serious.

"Relax Zoro," Franky said. He sat at the dining table, reading shipwright magazines, and had been painfully aware of the swordsman's worry. The first mate had seemed calm about the situation at first, working out in the gym and meditating beside Robin's flower beds, but when Luffy hadn't come out from the infirmary after four hours he had started to pacing around the ship with a scowl on his face. "This was why Chopper joined the crew, right? He knows what he's doing."

`_But what if he's not_?´ Zoro wanted to scream. Instead he sank lower in the chair beside the infirmary door. He was concentrating listening to every sound from within the infirmary, making out the grinding of Choppers mortar, Chopper's hooves as he moved between the bed and his working table, and Luffy's breathing.

Sanji was also in the kitchen, stirring in a pot of soup on the doctor's request. In the corner of his eye he could see Zoro fuming by himself, and it left an awful taste in his mouth.

`_It was only a week ago since he nearly died for him, and now Luffy had to go get sick. I can understand Zoro... not being able to do anything_.´ He glanced at Zoro again. The man had his eyes closed, but the frown told volumes about what went through that head.`_I hate that look on his face_,´ Sanji thought. `_I would much rather see that cocky smile he use to have, when he picked fights with me, or that annoyed face he pull when Nami boss him around. I wonder what he looked like when he_...´

Sanji reached for the salt and busied himself with the soup, hoping the steam would cover up his blush. But either Franky or Zoro noticed it.

`... _I wouldn't mind kissing him if it made him feel better. Wasn't that what he did when Nami and Robin told me off_?´

The door to the infirmary opened and Chopper walked out, shutting the door behind him, and immediately having three pairs of eyes on him.

"I need more towels. And these need to get sterilized," he said and put down several medical instruments on the kitchen counter. "How is that soup going, Sanji?"

"It's done. Here, I'll get a bowl."

Sanji poured some soup in a bowl and handed Chopper it, before he got to the task to put the syringes, tweezers and other instruments in boiling water to sterilize.

"I'll get those towels," Franky said, and stood up, heading to the bathroom. Zoro eyed Chopper as he carefully walked back to the infirmary with the soup.

"Is there something I can do?"

Chopper stopped and looked back up at him.

"I'll have the test results by sundown. Until then you would be really helpful if you calmed down. More stress could only worsen Luffy's fever."

With that, the little doctor closed the door behind and leaving Zoro to stare at the wood once more. He inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, trying to relax his tense shoulders. Then he backed off from the door and turned his eyes to Sanji, who was looking at him, leaning against the counter. None of them broke the eye contact. In the end Sanji stepped over to the pantry, pulling out a bottle of brandy and put it on the counter. He gave Zoro a nod and lit a cigarette for himself. It took several seconds until Zoro moved, slowly making his way to the counter and picking up the bottle. Still with his intense eyes on Sanji he uncorked the bottle and took a gulp.

"Thanks."

**Tbc**

****There! I had planed to make this chapter longer, but since you guys have waited so long, I thought I needed to post _something_ *_*


	7. Chapter 7

_After about half a year, I finally got this together! Yay for writers block!_

**Chapter 7**

"It's a pathogenic bacterium."

The sun had set about an hour ago, and Chopper had gathered everyone in the kitchen. Occasionally they could still hear Luffy cough from inside the infirmary.

"How bad is it?" Zoro asked. He looked a bit sick himself, with dark circles starting to show under his eyes, and the whiskey bottle in his hand added to the probability that he was a little drunk.

"Well, since I've diagnosed his condition, I'll be able to produce a medicine, though I'm surprised to have encountered this decease, it's supposed to have been extinct for decades… It's an infection that was commonly found in morgues and villages with poor health care, where people often came in contact with corpses. I guess the non-hygienic and humid environment of Thriller Bark made a perfect spring board for the bacteria, and well, Luffy fought against a lot of zombies…"

"We _all_ did," Usopp said, his eyes as big as saucers.

"That's why I need to check all of you to see if anyone else has been infected. I doubt it, since no one else other than Luffy has shown any symptoms, but better safe than sorry."

After Chopper had explained the situation, everyone heaved a sigh and felt more at ease. The reindeer doctor assured them Luffy would be better in a day or two, and that his decease wasn't contagious, but they should let him rest. When Chopper had taken some of everyone's blood, he asked Sanji to make tea and sandwiches for the crew.

"Thank you."

Chopper looked at Zoro over their mugs of tea. "Mm," he nodded, a blush spreading on his cheeks. "Would you like some sleeping pills?"

"Ah, no… that won't be necessary." Zoro pulled his fingers through his short hair and downed the rest of his tea.

"You can go talk with Luffy, if you want to," Chopper said quietly, and the swordsman gave him a tired smile. He stood up and walked over to the infirmary, knocking before he went inside.

Chopper's table was crammed with different kinds of chemistry sets, herbs, bottles and what-nots. Luffy was stationed under the warmest blanket Nami could find, with a cloth on his forehead. He still looked a bit pale, but he didn't cough as he had before. Zoro sat down in Chopper's swivel chair, carefully not to disturb Luffy, who seemed to be fast asleep. But he wasn't, he discovered.

"Hi, Zoro," the raven sighed. He tried a smile, but his glassy eyes kind of ruined it. "Chopper gave me something that made my head all funny."

"Shh, take it easy."

Zoro took the cloth from Luffy's forehead, wet it in a bowl of water, wrung it and put it back. He covered Luffy's hand with his.

"You… you just make sure you get a lot of rest."

"I am sorry I made you worry."

"It's alright now. Chopper has it under control." Zoro twined his fingers with Luffy's and kissed the back of his hand. He didn't pull back, but savoured the moment. Luffy watched Zoro close his eyes, and he smiled. Gently he pulled his hand out of Zoro's hold and let it glide over the swordsman's cheek. The golden earrings jingled softly when his fingers brushed them. Zoro opened his eyes, leaned in into the touch for a second before he rose up from the swivel chair and made a move to kiss him. Luffy turned his head away.

"I don't want you to catch whatever I have."

"It's alright, Chopper said it's not contagious."

"Oh, good," he sighed, and let him kiss him. The kiss was nothing more than lips softly touching, but it was enough for Zoro to finally relax, to know that the horrible day would come to an end.

"Mm," Luffy hummed happily. "Thanks."

Zoro smiled back. Outside the infirmary they could hear Franky telling the punch line to a joke, and Usopp laughing.

"How has it been with you?" Luffy asked out of the blue.

Zoro guessed Luffy wanted to talk about something not concerning diseases. "You know, the usual. Been in the gym, meditated. Weather was real nice."

"I meant how things have been with you and Sanji," Luffy corrected himself. The hand that had been stroking Luffy's stilled, and Zoro looked down at him with a hint of surprise.

"I didn't know you noticed." Luffy looked expectantly at him. "Ah… Things happened…" Zoro had no idea how he would explain, since he wasn't sure where he stood with the chef. Had they started something? He had told Sanji he wanted to, but the way Sanji had responded wasn't much to go on.

"Have you had sex?"

"No." Images of him and Sanji in the men's quarters, pressed against the door, flashed in the back of his eyes. The sound of Sanji's voice when he came in his hand echoed in his ears. "Though I… helped him out once."

"I always had a feeling he swung both ways," Luffy said. Zoro leaned against the bed on his elbows, fists under his chin and with a frown on his face.

"I believe it's new territory for him. So I don't want to rush. And I'm not sure if he wants to…" Luffy nodded his head to show he listened. Zoro wanted to continue with the line of thought, but no words came to mind, so it ended in a heavy sigh.

"I'm not worried when it comes to you and Sanji," Luffy said. "Sanji just need some time to figure it out, and he will tell you if he doesn't want to be with you, he's not an idiot when it comes to stuff like that."

Zoro made another face. "I think I need to be clearer about that with him, I'm not in love with him. I just find him hot."

"Okay."

Zoro's hands had wandered down to Luffy's blanket, and played absentmindedly with a corner of it. Talking with Luffy about what was going on between him and Sanji was somewhat a relief.

"So you haven't had sex yet?"

"_Luffy_!"

"Hahahahah!"

"He's alright," Nami smiled. Robin smiled right back, and picked up the book she had been reading the day before. Beside them Usopp and Brook had started playing with domino pieces, arranging them in a long trail. Hearing Luffy's laugh was a guarantee that life aboard Thousand Sunny was normal yet again.

_oOo_

Sanji was enjoying a cigarette, leaning against the railing beside the Energy Room. The sun had set some minutes ago, and the horizon was colored with orange and red. Usopp had said goodnight some minutes ago on his way to the Crow's Nest for his turn of night watch-out. A day had passed since Luffy's sudden sickness, but he had already been up and walking, with only a slight cough lingering.

_`What kind of relationship do they have…?´_

After what Sanji had witnessed at dinner the previous day, he'd had a difficult time to sort out his thoughts. At the time he had been glad that Luffy had Zoro, that they shared such a strong bond, which was quite inevitable since they had traveled together for a long time. When Sanji thought about the hints he had seen and heard the last couple weeks he came to the conclusion that the captain and his first mate was more than just that. But that raised another question; why had Zoro offered him sex? Or even given him a hand job in the first place?

`_Surely Zoro isn't someone who would two-time anyone?´_ Sanji sucked on his cigarette. The horizon had fallen completely dark by now, and the ship was illuminated by the moon, stars and lanterns only. He turned his back to the sea and lent against the railing, crossing his arms. `_Or have I read too much into this? Are Zoro and Luffy just really close friends?´_

The memory of Zoro's offer made Sanji remember the kiss. `_Did he really believe I would be okay with that? Just because he told me what happened does not mean I'm okay with it! But why did I_ -´ Sanji shook his head, as if to get his thoughts in order. Hadn't he wanted to kiss the swordsman only yesterday? He heaved a sigh. _`Damn it, that idiot put ideas in my head, and now I can't get any peace of mind. Did I really enjoy his advances? Do I unconsciously want to try that…?_´ Sanji tried to recall Zoro's story, but he couldn't remember if he had said anything about him enjoying it.

A seagull flew by him and landed on the railing a safe distance away. Sanji watched it make itself comfortable for a night's sleep. He himself felt restless. His cigarette had burnt down, so he threw it in the ocean and opened the door to the Engine Room, taking a shortcut to the lower deck.

Down in the dark of Usopp's and Franky's work offices, Sanji felt around along the wall. He found the lantern he knew were there, lit it and made his way through the Soldier Dock System. Halfway to the storehouse, he felt he had enough privacy, and put the lantern down. Thousand Sunny creaked all around him, the sound of the sea against the keel echoed eerily. With a slow sigh, Sanji leaned against the wall and pulled down his zipper. Up until then, masturbating had seemed impossible, with all the disturbing thoughts of Zoro. But Sanji was surprised to how well his body responded to the fondling. A fleeting thought of the red haired courtesan in Water Seven flickered in the back of his mind, and he smiled to himself. Yes, surely the memories of the night with her would be enough. She had worn a pretty deep red dress, with the straps low on her shoulders and the skirt cut high in the front, showing her white legs. Her hair had draped around her neck like a waterfall, perfectly framing her cute face, and her eyes…

Sanji eased his trousers further down his thighs and continued to stroke his cock. He licked his lips.

Her eyes…

Sanji frowned. But the woman's face was already lost on him. The night in the alleys of Water Seven faded away. Sanji quickly changed subject, and settled on a safe card; Nami. A coy smile played at his lips as he pictured her in her newest bikini, a tiny blue thing that worked its magic in a splendid way. He let her lay down in her lounger, with an arm resting above her head and the other over her stomach. No, scratch that, her hand was stroking her breasts, Sanji could almost feel how soft it was. Nami's hand slowly reached downwards over a smooth stomach, fingering the thin fabric of the bikini bottom. Sanji's cock twitched in anticipation. The delicate, manicured hand sneaked in under the hem –

`_**No**_.´

Sanji gasped and stared at the wall with eyes wide open. The Nami in his fantasy looked at him in the same way she had looked at him at the party. The magic bubble had been popped, and Sanji knew he couldn't continue. Just like the morning after the party, when Sanji had found it impossible to flirt with the ladies, he now found it impossible to use his usual fantasies.

`_This must be some sort of phase_,´ he tried to reason with himself. `_I should just let this blow over, find a girl in next port, forget everything… Damn it! If that Marimo hadn't…!_´

Sanji thumped his head against the wall, and lent so that the light from the lantern hit his back. `_If he just hadn't told me about what happened… I would have accepted my blackout and gone on with my life, not question everything that has been going on around here for the last couple of weeks! But no, he just had to tell me we made out while he had his hands on my dick!_´

His heartbeat had gone up and it scared him like hell. He looked down at himself, now almost completely soft. `_I will not fantasize about him!_´

A small sound made Sanji catch his breath, and he whipped his head around. His insides froze to ice.

"I didn't mean to sneak up on you," Zoro said.

**TBC**

_I'll wrap this up in the next chapter. I also feel the need to explain my choice of title for this fanfic, I kind of hinted it with Usopp and Broop playing with the dominoes? How actions leads to other actions. Lame, I know, I wish I could change the title to "The Cliffhanger", would make so much more sense ;_;_

_Also thank you all for the reviews! I keep reading them to encourage myself, they make me so happy!_


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